


Purpose Pitch

by ShayneyL



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Baseball, Ficlet, Gen, Prompt Fic, Sports
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-07
Updated: 2019-08-07
Packaged: 2020-08-11 15:21:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20155750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShayneyL/pseuds/ShayneyL
Summary: Tom and Harry have a baseball program, and want Tuvok to play.Probably a sequel tothis story.





	Purpose Pitch

**Author's Note:**

> Writer's Month 2019, Day 7. The prompt is "sports."

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ: *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

"Come on, Tuvok," Tom said. "You're Vulcan..."

"Very astute observation, Mr. Paris."

Tom continued as if he hadn't been interrupted. "That means you're three times stronger than a human. If a human can throw a baseball 100 mph, you should be able to throw it 300 mph."

"I don't know, Tom," Harry said from his station at Ops. "The average human can't throw that hard. More like half that, without training and special talent."

"That still means a Vulcan could throw 150 mph. I bet Tuvok could throw faster. He works out. Some of that tactical stuff would transfer to baseball."

"A 150 mph fastball, left-handed," Harry said. "The baseball teams of old would have killed for a player like that."

"Why does handedness matter?" the captain asked. They were in a very quiet section of the Delta Quadrant, and she encouraged conversation among the bridge crew in that situation.

"Because most batters are right-handed," Tom explained. "A right-handed batter gets a better view of the pitch from a right-handed pitcher."

"I see," Janeway said. "Well, then, Mr. Tuvok would no doubt be a remarkable pitcher."

"It would not be ethical to employ my superior Vulcan physique against humans in a mere sport." 

"Come on, Tuvok," Tom said. "It's just a friendly game. I just want to see what you can do."

"I want to see if I can hit a 150 mph pitch," Harry said.

Tuvok sighed. "Very well. Since you clearly will not stop importuning me until I concede...when is the next game?"

"Yeah!" Tom said. "Tomorrow, 1900 hours, holodeck 2."

* * *

Tom and Harry staggered into sickbay, supporting each other and groaning in pain. 

The Doctor was already activated. "What happened?" he demanded, scanner whirring. "Mr. Kim, you have a cracked rib. Mr. Paris, you have a severe contusion of the left gluteus maximus. You both have contusions on your backs, shoulders, wrists, and thighs."

"Blame Tuvok's pitching," Tom answered. "He throws really hard, but has no control."

"You mean this happened on the holodeck? During a _game_?" the Doctor asked, scowling with disapproval. "Did you turn off the safeties?"

"No," Harry said, holding his sore rib. "If we'd done that, we would be dead." The safeties blocked serious injury, but minor ones slipped through. Though they didn't always feel minor.

"I see," the Doctor said, starting the regenerator. "Might I suggest you two choose a safer sport? Badminton, perhaps, or karo-net." 

"Nothing wrong with baseball," Tom said. "We just have to avoid Vulcan pitching."

* * *

"Tuvok, you broke my operations officer's rib," Janeway said, ladling the thick, savory ratatouille he'd made into her bowl. He only agreed to have dinner with his captain if he did the cooking. Tuvok was a very smart man. 

"I apologize, Captain." He was slicing crusty French bread to go with the vegetable stew. "That was not my intention."

"They told me you had excellent velocity but terrible aim," Janeway said. She ate a bite of ratatouille. It was delicious. 

"It appears so," Tuvok said. "Highly regrettable."

"Funny, I happen to know you have excellent aim. Several traditional Vulcan weapons require it, and you are a master of them all."

"Indeed."

"Tuvok, you could have just told them 'no.'"

"I did, Captain. For 7.3 weeks."

Janeway laughed. "Well, I'm pretty sure they won't be asking you again."

"Indeed."

Tuvok was a very smart man.


End file.
